


Abuse

by bottledyarn



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Abuse, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-09
Updated: 2012-11-09
Packaged: 2017-11-19 13:05:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/573601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bottledyarn/pseuds/bottledyarn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis and Harry's relationship goes through some difficulties, and they end up seeking counseling.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Abuse

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: abuse.  I have never experienced abuse, so this is purely by vague guesses and imagination. T I am truly sorry if this misconstrues abuse and offends anybody reading it. I am not trying to make assumptions about abuse, nor am I trivializing it in any way. If you are being abused or abusing someone, it is not a light matter, and you need to get help.  Anyway. Sorry about that serious note, here’s a serious story to go with it.

            Louis flinched. Harry was slamming dishes from the washer into the cabinet, making loud crashes.

            “God damnit!” Harry shouted after a particularly loud crash.

            Louis stood up hesitantly, walking into the kitchen. “What is it?”

            Harry turned towards him, taking a deep breath. He was holding half of a broken plate in one hand, the other half in the other. “It frigging broke.”

            “Well, you were slamming them into the cabinet for no reason,” Louis said.

            “I was slamming them because I was angry, obviously,” Harry said, clutching the glass pieces tightly.

            “What about? Was your hair not looking quite right?” Louis asked, smiling

            Harry didn’t smile back. “No, Louis.”

            “What about, then?”

            “Why do you need to know?” Harry demanded.

            “I was just curious…”

            “It’s none of your business.”  
            “I am your boyfriend, so it’s kind of related to me.”  
            “Not everything is about you, Louis.” Harry said, his knuckles turning white from his tight grip.

            “I just want to know what you’re mad about…”

            Harry breathed a few times, closing his eyes. Louis stood awkwardly against the wall.  Then Harry’s eyes snapped open and he whipped one of the broken pieces at the wall beside Louis’ head.

            One of the edges sliced along his shoulder, drawing a thin line of red. Louis gaped at the shattered pieces all over the floor and back to Harry.

            He’d collapsed to the floor crying, huddled in a tiny ball. 

            “I’m sorry,” the younger boy said through his tears. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”  
  


            It had happened a few times before the plate incident, but it didn’t happen again for a few days.  The next time, Harry was just plain upset because his uncle had a heart attack.  He ended up screaming and yelling, kicking over chairs and finally he ended up scratching the side of Louis’ face when he tried to calm Harry down.

            That scratch- that actual physical contact that burned across his cheek- was what made Louis insist on some kind of therapy. Moments after Harry had scratched Louis, the energy fell out of him and he collapsed again, so when Louis told him they were going to see a therapist, Harry didn’t fight. He was too tired.

            The very next morning they went to a therapist and sat uncomfortably on the small couch, staring at the woman who stared back at them.

            “What exactly is your relationship?” the woman- Dr. Tiago- asked. “Step-brothers? Cousins? Friends?”

            “We’re boyfriends,” Harry said quietly, waiting to see if the doctor would make comments about it.

            “Okay,” she said, noting it on her paper pad. “And I want each of you to tell me what happened that pushed you to come here.  Don’t tell me every incident, just whatever it was that made you come to me.”

            “Harry got mad and he scratched me,” Louis said simply.

            Harry nodded. “My uncle was really sick and I just went out of control and scratched him.”

            Dr. Tiago pursed her lips. “Were there triggers like your uncle’s sickness every incident?”  
            “Yeah,” Harry said.

            “I know it’s really upsetting when you feel out of control and need to take it out on something, but it feels even worse to watch a significant other fall apart and start taking it out on you.  So, Harry…I think you’re over stressed.”

            “That’s it?” Harry asked. “I don’t have some awful mental condition that’s making me go insane?”

            “It is awful to be stressed. I understand that both of you are in a popular band, am I correct?”

            They nodded.

            “I want you both to take a month completely out of the public eye. No concerts, no press, no meet and greets.  Stay inside or somewhere that no press are allowed.”  
            Louis shook his head. “Management won’t let us do that.”

            “Well,” Dr. Tiago said. “If they won’t give you a month to relax, then they’re to blame for this.”

            “I wouldn’t say that,” Harry said. “I don’t have a reason to be stressed, I think I just am.”

            “There’s always a reason,” Dr. Tiago said. “And I think that the constant publicity is it.”

            “What if I get mad again?” Harry asked.

            “Don’t take it out on Louis. Get a treadmill, a boxing bag, or something of the sort and take it out in exercise.  It will help.”

            “Is that all?” Louis asked.

            “I would do a more in-depth evaluation, but I’d like to start with this and see how it goes.  We’ll have a conference-type call once a week, I’ll organize it.  If there is another incident, make sure you call me and we’ll have another appointment.”

            Louis smiled hesitantly. “Thank you,” he said.

            “Don’t thank me yet.  I know it seems simple, but the damages done even by a few minor physical…attacks…will continue to affect both of you for a long time.  The only thing you can do is work on it and build your relationship to a point where you can either talk stress out or work it out together through exercise. This whole thing does not mean you need to end your relationship- it means you need to fix it and go beyond the status you had before all of this.”

            Harry nodded. “I’m sorry, Lou,” he said quietly as they left the office.

            Louis’ hand came up to rest on Harry’s back. “We’ll fix it.”


End file.
